Blocking Out the Pain
by Akira E. A
Summary: When Sasori dosen't return from a mission, Deidara refuses to accept his death. He starts to halusinate. And he's driving Itachi mad! [A little ItaDei, anyone?] Complete.
1. Denial

Title: Blocking Out the Pain

By: Akira E. A.

Credits: Thanks Shikyo Miazaki for the idea! ;; See! I told you I would remember this time!

Disclamer: I wish I owned Naruto and it's characters... That would be so awesome... But alas, I do not. And that is a depressing thought... -.-;; Oh well... I'll live.

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Deidara walked through the halls of the Akatsuki hide out. Sasori was out on some special sort of mission, and he missed him. It had been a week since the two had seen each other. They had been going out for several months now, and it had been the first time they had been away from each other for an extended period of time. He sighed.

The blonde was anxious for the next day to hurry up and come. It was the day that his puppet maser was supposed to come back. He went to bed early that night, an attempt to make it seem like the sun would rise sooner.

The instant he felt the sun graze across his smooth, pale skin, he jumped out of bed and into the bathroom. He brushed his hair and put it up the way he liked it. He quickly brushed his teeth and rushed to leave his room and wait for Sasori.

He was stopped in the hall a few away from his door. "Morning Leader-sama, un!" he said with a smile. "Is Sasori-danna back yet?" he asked curiously, anxious to see the puppet.

The leader sighed. "Deidara… Perhaps you should sit down…" he said quietly. Deidara looked at him. His expression was confused and innocent.

"Leader-sama, what's wrong, un?" he asked. The leader took Deidara back into his room and had him sit on his bed.

"Deidara… I know how you were eagerly awaiting for Sasori to come back, but I'm afraid that that didn't happen." He said. He took a pause to see the bomb artist's reaction.

Deidara cocked his head to the side, still quiet confused. "Was his mission extended, un?" He asked, having so many questions in his head but only looking for a few answers.

The leader looked at the ground. This wasn't going to be as easy as he hoped. "Deidara, quite acting naive. You know what I mean. Sasori's gone. He's dead." He said sternly.

The words cut through Deidara's heart like a knife. He looked down at the ground. A single tear escaped his eye. He looked back up at Deidara with a smile. "Quite being silly, Leader-sama. Sasori can't die. He's a puppet." He replied simply and stood. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go wait for him." The bomb artist walked out of the room before Leader-sama could say anything.

Deidara walked outside of the hide out. Clouds have covered the once shining sun. A cool breeze blew against his skin. He stood outside for several hours before he thought he saw a distinct hair color out in the woods. He ran up to it. "Sasori-danna!" He cried happily, but once he got to where the puppet should have been, he found nothing.

A few more tears escaped his eye. He wondered to himself if Leader-sama had been telling the truth, but quickly shook his head of the thoughts. "He must have run inside!" he said in denial of the truth. He ran inside as the tears dried on his cheeks.

Itachi looked up as Deidara ran in. He was surprised to see a smile on the blonde's face. "Are you alright, Deidara?" Itachi asked quietly. Word of Sasori's death had spread through out the Akatsuki within several hours.

Deidara stopped looking for Sasori for a moment and looked at Itachi. "Of course! Why wouldn't I be?" he asked with another smile.

Itachi lifted a brow. "Well I just assumed you would be upset… With the whole Sasori thing and all…" he said quietly.

Deidara gave him a look that had stopped Itachi from saying anymore. The blonde looked confused.

"Why would I be upset that he's hiding?" He asked. The confusion on his face mirrored the confusion in his voice.

Itachi sighed. He knew not to argue with him. Deidara was in his own world now. One where he was blocking the pain and depression, with the thought of Sasori. One where he believed that Sasori was still alive. Deidara ran to his room calling, "Sasori-danna! Come out, come out where ever you are!"

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Yeah, short. I know. If I get good reviews, I'll make a new chapter soon. Maybe even tomrrow! ;; But if I don't get good reviews, or revewis at all for that matter, then this will be the end. But I would like to contuinue it, so please, reveiw. I love you all! Thanks for reading!


	2. Pleasant Memories

Why hello again! It's me, Akira! Woot woot!

Here is the second chapter: Pleasant thoughts

Disclaimer: I really, really wish that I owned Naruto… But I still don't… And I still dream that I did!

* * *

For days the members of the Akatsuki had mixed emotions towards Deidara. Some felt sorry fro him, others were concerned about his mental well being, but most of the time, they all just wanted to ring his neck.

No one wanted to kill him more than Itachi though. Every single day that passed, Deidara would stick his head in Itachi's room and say, "Have you seen Sasori, un?" And ever time that he said it Itachi would try to get it through his head that Sasori wasn't coming back.

After a week of the same thing, Itachi was about ready to snap and Deidara was falling further into his delusions. Deidara woke up early. He could have sworn that he felt a hand draped lazily across his waist, and warm breath on his cheek. He quickly jumped out of bed and smiled widely.

"Sasori!" He exclaimed happily. He said it loud enough for it to be heard in the kitchen, and it was.

Itachi had been sitting in the kitchen drinking some green tea. When he heard Deidara, he almost broke the cup in his hand. "Calm down… He'll get over it… He just needs time…" he told himself quietly. He was about to take a sip of his tea before Deidara barged into the kitchen, startling him and causing him to drop the cup.

"Itachi-san! Sasori-danna! He's back, un!" the bomb artist announced.

Itachi closed his eyes and sighed. He got a towel to wipe up the spilled tea. "Deidara, how many times do we have to go through this? Sasori is dead. He's not here anymore." The raven-haired man said angrily as he wiped the tea.

Deidara shook his head frantically. "No he's not! He's in my room, un! Come see!" he said as he pulled Itachi to his room by his arm. Once they got to his room, the blonde pointed to an unmade bed. "See!"

Itachi looked at the bed and cocked a brow. "You're loosing it…" he stated as he put his hand in the palm of his hand.

Deidara looked from Itachi and then at the bed. "Where did he go, un?" he asked himself. He tilted his head to the side like a small child.

Itachi sighed. "I'm going to finish cleaning up the tea you made me spill. Come get me once you're at least partially sane again." He said as he walked out of the room.

Deidara looked at Itachi as he left. He sat on the bed and looked at the floor. "Maybe I am loosing it… What if Sasori really is dead, un?" he mumbled to himself. He looked at the doorway. "That's a depressing thought, un… That for a week you're lover has been dead, and you just realize it…" He shook his head, as if that would get the thoughts out of his mind. "And that's exactly why Sasori isn't dead, un! He hated to see me depressed!" He smiled and looked out his window.

It was sunny and there was a slight breeze. Deidara could tell by the way the leaves on the trees swayed. He grabbed his cloak and grinned as he walked outside. He walked towards the tree that brought him so many memories. He smiled and sat against it, resting his cheek on the rough bark. "Sasori-danna…" he whispered to himself as he closed his eyes.

_It was a warm day. There was a warm breeze blowing gently. Deidara was sitting against a tree, letting the sun shine down on his face. He felt completely at peace, completely at home, completely happy._

_He was so busy concentrating on this sensation that he hadn't noticed someone approaching. He turned his head up to the sky and smiled. A red headed puppet slid down next to him._

_Deidara only then heard him. He opened his eyes with a sighed. He looked at his partner and smiled. He had been infatuated with the puppet for almost a year now, and smiled any time he saw him. Although he could never bring himself to admit it to anyone, he was beginning to believe he was in love with the puppet master._

_Sasori looked at Deidara silently. He didn't want to disturb that aura of peace that surrounded the blonde._

_Deidara's smile didn't fade as he laid his head on Sasori's shoulder. The puppet couldn't say he was surprised by the action, but he wasn't really expecting it. He didn't ever really mind it. He silently slipped an arm around the blonde's shoulders._

_Several moments of this calm stillness passed before the bomb artist lifted his head. He kissed Sasori's cheek. "I love you, Sasori." He said quietly. He felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders. He had finally admitted his feelings to Sasori._

_Sasori turned to look at Deidara. He leaned closer to his parent and gently kissed his soft lips. "I love you to, Deidara." He said as the blonde's cheeks turned a dull shade of pink._

_Deidara smiled and jumped on the puppet. "You have no idea how glad that makes me feel." He said as he hugged Sasori tightly. Sasori hugged him back and smiled._

_"I think I have an idea." He whispered as he kissed Deidara's cheek._

The blonde began to stir from his greatest memory. A silent tear slid down his cheek. He didn't open his eyes, hoping to go back to that day. He wanted to feel Sasori in his arms again. He wanted to kiss him again. He wanted to have absolutely no doubts in his mind that Sasori was alive.

He opened his eyes slowly. "You have to be alive, un… Puppets don't die…" Deidara whispered as another tear slid down his cheek. He felt a lump growing in his throat. "I would die without you…"

He closed his eyes again. He sighed and stood up. "And Sasori doesn't want me dead, so he wouldn't let himself die, un."

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Did you like it? I know it's still short, but it's slightly longer! ;; Anyway... I feel like bribing you to review again... How about this, POCKEY AND ENERGY DRINKS TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWS?! I know that if I were to be reading this story, that's an offer I would take! Next chapter soon! I swear. And I'll try to make it longer.

And trust me, your reviews do help me. I was feeling a _little_ depressed, untill I read my reviews.


	3. The Annoying Little

Hi hi loves!

Sorry it took me a few days!

I was trying to write this chapter all day, but my little friend –coughcough **Chibi-Chan** coughcough- kept me busy all day with her messages! Hehe… You know I'm joking, Chibi. After all, you made me happy today!

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own Naruto… TT But I have a plan that Chibi and I developed. It's crazy, but it might get us to own the anime! But for the time being, I don't…

* * *

Kisame walked into the kitchen as Itachi made himself more tea.

"Either you woke up later than normal, I woke up earlier then I thought, or something happened to your tea…" He said suspiciously, knowing that Itachi would never go a day without his tea. Last time he didn't have any tea, he almost killed half of Akatsuki.

Itachi gave him a death glare. "You want to know what happened to my tea? Deidara! That's what happened to my tea!" He snapped.

The shark-man took a few steps back. "Okay… Calm down Itachi-san…" He said quietly. "He's still not over it yet, huh?"

Itachi poured himself a cup of tea silently. Only after he had taken a sip did he reply. "He dragged me to his room saying that Sasori was in there with him when he woke up…" The Uchiha said as he rolled his eyes.

Kisame opened his moth to speak, but was interrupted when a blonde that Itachi was still quite annoyed with walked into the room. "Good morning Kisame, un! Morning again, Itachi-san!" He said happily.

Itachi sighed. "I told you not to come and get me until you were sane again…" he muttered under his breath.

"And I never was insane! Problem solved, un!" He said loudly, but he didn't sound offended.

Kisame stayed silent, although he was thinking, "I would argue against that, bomb boy…"

Itachi sighed. "Deidara… Shut up and go away…" he ordered.

The blonde stayed firmly where he was. "And why should I, un?" he asked, not complying with either parts of the request. He was annoying Itachi to no end. Kisame noticed the man's eye twitching as he tried to control his anger.

"Uh…" he said quietly as he thought of something to say. "Let's go look for Sasori! I need to tell him something!" He said finally.

The blonde's ears seemed to perk up. "Great idea, un!"

As the two turned to leave the room, Itachi gave Kisame a hard glare that said, "Do not encourage him. I swear, if he keeps going like this…" Te walked out of the kitchen quickly, leaving Itachi alone. He sipped his tea. "I just want him to move on…" He whispered to himself. "But I don't think he's even trying to…"

Deidara dragged Kisame all over the hideout. The shark-man silently hoped that the others wouldn't see this as supporting Deidara's denial. He wasn't trying to; he just didn't want any blood shed in the kitchen.

The blonder ran into what used to be Sasori's room. "Danna!" He cried out, hoping for a response. His eyes fell to the floor when no reply came. "I know what you're thinking, un. He isn't dead. He wouldn't let me suffer. He cared too much to die, un." He said as he closed his eyes and clenched his fist.

"Deidara… You know that you're only lying to yourself. I know that you know he's dead." He said, but shut up when he was that the bomb artist was crying. He sighed. "Deidara…" he said quietly. "I'll be in my room if you need me. I think it would be best if you be alone."

Deidara nodded as Kisame walked out of the room. He sat on Sasori's bed and clutched onto his pillow as if his very life depended on it. "Sasori…" he mumbled as he allowed the tears to fall. "You can't be dead, un… They are all just jealous of us…" he whispered. He held his eyes shut as tight as he could.

Itachi sighed as he finished his tea. He thought that he should go check on Kisame and Deidara. Only to see if Kisame had gotten as annoyed by Deidara as he was though. Since he had time to calm down, he didn't feel like killing the blonde at that moment. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and sighed.

He passed his room; he passed Kisame's only to find that that was where he was. He didn't ask him why he was there, or where Deidara was. He continued to look in the rooms. He passed Deidara's, Hidan's room, Kakuzu's room, and then he came to Sasori's room. He looked in and saw what looked like a very exhausted, and upset blonde.

He walked into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. He placed his hand to Deidara's shoulder. "Dei-Chan? Are you alright?" He asked quietly. He rubbed his shoulder gently.

The bomb artist slowly opened his eyes and glared at Itachi as he snapped his shoulder away. "Leave me the hell alone, un." He said coldly.

Itachi was surprised. Normally Itachi was the angry one, and Deidara was the kinder one.

Itachi took a firm hold on Deidara's shoulders. "Tell me what is wrong." He demanded. The blonde only shook his head and glared at Itachi.

The Uchiha instantly let go of Deidara and stood. "Fine. If you want to be an ass hole because you're refusing to believe the truth, then be an asshole." He said as he turned to leave the room. There was no attempt to stop him. The only acknowledgment that he left was when he turned the corner and was out of sight. That was when Deidara flipped off the air.

"Yeah, screw you too, un." He said quietly as he lay back down and closed his eyes. "I told you he was jealous…" The blonde whispered.

Itachi walked into Kisame's room silently. He closed the door behind him and leaned against the door. He slid down until he was sitting on the ground.

Kisame looked at him for a moment. "I'll take it you talked to Bomb Boy again…" He said quietly. He had always called Deidara 'Bomb Boy' in his head and behind his back, and somehow the blonde never found out.

Itachi pulled his knees up to his chest. "That man has become a total asshole." He muttered.

The shark-man chuckled. "And I assume that that's exactly what you told him too." Itachi simply nodded.

Kisame lay down on his bed and continued to look at Itachi. "Then why did you come to my room?" He asked quietly.

Itachi grimaced and looked at him. "You know very well why I came here." He said simply.

Kisame rolled his beady eyes and looked at his ceiling, arms folded behind his head. "You're like a young teenager, you know that?"

The dark haired man's eyes flashed crimson and he glared at him partner. "Another word from you, and you'll be suffering for three days." Kisame instantly shut up. "That's what I thought." He said as he leaned his head against the door.

Kisame decided to take a risk and say something, "You know it won't get any better like this." Itachi closed his eyes.

"What did I just say?" The Uchiha asked quietly.

The shark-man sighed. "You know I'm right though." Itachi did nothing but sigh in response.

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Did you like it? I'm not sure if I did… -shrug- Oh well. The next one should be better though! And today I shall bribe you with… A new one shot? How would that please you? 


	4. Sanity

Hello again loves!!!

Sorry this chapter took me so long, I had the squee head that is known as writer's block…

I couldn't finish this chapter when I wanted to… . I think that I only finished it because of my CD… Thank The Used! And their CD; Lies For the Liars!!

;; And I'm really surprised… For reasons…

Yeah…

**Disclaimer:** I seriously wish I owned Naruto… I really really do… And I shall not quite dreaming!!!

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Deidara fell asleep in this position, clinging onto Sasori's pillow. As he slept, the tears dried to his face. "Sasori-danna…" he muttered as he dreamed.

_"Deidara… Wake up…" Sasori whispered as he gently shook his lover. The only response he got was a tired grunt of protest. Like always, the bomb artist wanted to sleep more. They had a mission the previous day, and he knew that that would be his excuse._

_Sasori on the other hand didn't need sleep. He was a puppet, after all. He had watched the blonde that he viewed as his golden haired angel sleeping all night. The thought seemed disturbing to Sasori, and made him feel like a stalker, but Deidara seemed to find it sweet for some reason._

_Sasori sighed in utter frustration. "Deidara. Time to wake up. Now." He said, his tone a little more fierce this time. The blonde rolled over and groaned again._

_"Maybe tomorrow, un." He muttered as he threw his arm lazily across his eyes. Sasori crossed his arms. He decided that to wake up Deidara, he was going to have to act like Deidara._

_He tried to think of what he would do if he were in this situation. Finally he smirked in satisfaction at the idea in his head. He crawled onto the bed and sat on Deidara's waist, straddling his hips._

_To this, the bomb artist shot his eyes open and moved his arm to look at Sasori. "What are you thinking, un?" He asked. He was trying desperately to control his heartbeat, but this was so unusual for Sasori, that it was scaring him._

_"I'm thinking it's time for you to wake up." He murmured in Deidara's ear. The blonde simply threw his head back._

_"Like I told you, I'll wake up tomorrow, un."_

_Sasori sighed. He had expected this, but it was still frustrating. He sat up and looked at the blonde as Deidara closed his eyes once more. Sasori got off of him._

_"Fine. I guess I'll just have to go make out with someone else then." He said as he turned to walk out of the room. It took but a spilt second for Deidara to process what he said, sit up and run over to Sasori._

_"You better not, un!" He said as he tackled the puppet master to the floor. He pinned Sasori's arms above his head._

_Sasori smirked. "Oh look, I got some one awake and out of bed." He taunted. The bomb artist glared down at him._

_"Looks like you did, un." He said coldly. "I hate you." He mumbled._

_Sasori chuckled. "Then why were you so angry when I said I was going to go make out with someone else?" He asked quietly._

_Deidara didn't stop glaring at him. "Fine. Then you better make out with me now, or I'm going back to sleep, un." He said with a frown._

_Sasori rolled his eyes. "The horror!" He said sarcastically._

_The blonde shut him up by pressing his lips against the others. It was quite apparent that they were now both wide-awake._

Deidara loosened his grip on the pillow as he woke up. "Damn it, un. I have to quite falling back asleep." He said quietly to himself. He put the pillow back and walked slowly out of the room, stopping only to close the door behind him.

"I won't sleep in tomorrow. I promise, un." He said as he walked through the hall silently.

He walked passed Itachi's room. "Itachi-san?" He asked as he stuck his head in the door. He was surprised to find that he wasn't there. He walked to Kisame's room and knocked softly on the door. Itachi backed away from the door as Deidara opened it.

"Itachi-san! I just wanted to apologize for making you spill your tea, un." He said quietly with a smile.

Itachi sighed. "It's fine Dei-Chan. It's cleaned up now… No harm done." He said simply.

The bomb artist smiled again and closed the door and walked away.

"I thought you said he wouldn't find you here." Kisame said as he looked at his partner.

"It bought me several moments…" The Uchiha muttered as he looked at the door where the man who was so hurt that he didn't even know it himself had just been.

Deidara walked happily through the halls, saying hello to everyone that he passed, which was only Hidan. Although he wasn't telling anyone, or even showing it, he was slowly coming to see that truth which he hated.

Slowly he was coming to see that Sasori was dead. He understood it, but he didn't want to believe it. That was the only thing that kept him from breaking. The thought that Sasori could still be alive. He walked into his room and closed the door. He sat on his bed and pulled his knees up to his chest.

The only thing he could find himself doing was staring at the far wall. His face was emotionless and his eyes glazed over. "Sasori-danna…" He whispered. He felt tears burring at his eyes.

"No, no, no… What am I thinking, un?" He asked himself out loud. "I told him I would die without him, un… And that would be just like him wishing me dead…" Deidara assured himself. He buried his face in his knees. "And he told me he would kill me if I died." He said. He choked out a chuckle. "And you can't kill what's dead, un. Especially if you're dead." He said as he lifted his head again. A single tear escaped his eye right eye.

The bomb artist quickly brushed it away. "And even if he was dead, he would still make fun of me when I cried, un. That way he knew he could make me laugh…" he said quietly with a smile. The images of all of the memories he shared with a puppet returned to his head. All of the times they spent laughing, all of the missions they went on, all of the arguments they had over what art was.

Thinking about those arguments hurt him now. He felt a pain run through his heart. "I guess we were both wrong, un… If he really is dead, he isn't lasting forever… And he was a true piece of art…" he said quietly as he continued to stare at the far wall. "And he didn't explode… I think…" he said, realizing that he hadn't bothered to ask anyone how Sasori had died. He wasn't sure that he wanted to know either. After all, part of him still wanted to think that Sasori was alive.

He laid down on his side. He was mentally exhausted. It seems that building up a wall to drown out his pain seemed to take a toll on him. He was physically awake, but he wouldn't have responded to anyone if they were to try to speak to him.

And nobody tried to. They were all leaving him alone. They didn't want to deal with him. They were all sick of him thinking Sasori was alive. Nobody had the patience for him, and most everyone was begging Leader-sama to send them on missions. There were only going to be two people left to deal with Deidara the next day.

Surprisingly, Itachi had convinced Kisame that they should stay and make sure Deidara didn't suddenly realize fully that Sasori was dead and blow himself up. Even Leader-sama himself had found an excuse to leave for a few days. And Deidara was glad. He felt closer to Itachi then he had in a long time.

The main reason being Itachi was the only one who seemed to act like he truly cared. And it was obvious that the only reason Itachi had begged Kisame to stay with him, was because he needed someone to keep him from trying to kill Deidara when he was annoyed with the blonde.

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Likey? Well review. Because reviews make me happy. And a happy author is a good author. So, yeah! And… Oh yeah! I'm surprised because no one seemed to pick up on… MY MAD FORESHADOWING SKILLZ! XD 


	5. Drama For Three Please

Epp! Sorry it took me a while to update! I know! I'm a horrable person... -.-

Don't kill me...

Anywho...

Disclamer: If I did... Just... Dude... I'm so twisted that... Gah! The show won't even be Naruto! It would probably be Pocky or something random!

Warning[Yes. I feel the need to do this today. Spoilers on Leader-sama's identidy. Oh, and excuse of OOCness...

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Itachi looked at Kisame with wide eyes. "Please." He said quietly, sounding desperate. Kisame shook his head. 

"He's annoying. Trust me. I know. But I'm not going to allow you to bash your head into a wall." Kisame stated simply. He could almost hear Itachi's screaming thoughts of anger.

"Then can I-" Itachi began to ask, only to be cut off by Kisame again.

"No." he said as he crossed his arms across his chest. "You can't kill Deidara." He said with an annoyed expression. The two had had this conversation three times prior to this. Itachi sighed. "After all, if you did, what would be the purpose of me being here in the first place?" He added, resulting in an ice-cold glare. "You said that's the reason you wanted me to stay with the two of you. I'm going to keep thinking that unless you say you had something else in mind…" Kisame's smirk was almost heard.

Itachi's head snapped back towards the blue skinned male. "Pervert. Go find some random dolphin… Or whatever it is that you like…" He said completely seriously and rudely. Kisame sweat dropped. "Besides, you know how I feel about-" he said, being cut off again. He was really starting to get annoyed by his partner.

"Yeah, yeah… I think that everyone except Deidara knows that you're basically in love with Deidara. I think that even Sasori knew." He said quietly, knowing that he probably just pushed the Uchiha a bit too far.

"I don't doubt that he did know…" the leaf ninja said quietly, sounding rather calm to his partner's surprise. Why do you think it's killing me that he won't just accept Sasori's death?" he said, looking at the ground. Just then Deidara flew into the room.

"Itachi-san! Kisame-kun! Where is everyone, un? I know you're going to say Sasori's dead, and he isn't. But you can't honestly think that I'll believe that everyone in Akatsuki was killed overnight, un." He said loudly. Itachi rubbed his temples. Why he liked this man was beyond him, they were as different as day and night. He figured that that was why; because opposites are supposed to attract.

Kisame sighed. "Their all on missions… Pein-sama (A/N: Pein has recently been revealed as the leader's name) said that we should stay here and…" he said as he tried to think up a reason for the tree to stay behind. "Make sure that the hide out… stays clean…" He said finally. "Yeah! That's why we're here!"

Itachi looked at him silently. The shark-man shut his mouth instantly.

The blonde was silent for a moment as he looked between the two. "Alright…" he said. He watched them for a moment more. "Something seems awkward between you two, un…" he said quietly. He tried to think of what it was. Kisame was worried that he would figure out that Itachi liked Deidara, while the Uchiha had no clue what he meant. All he did was glare at his partner and not say a word. You could tell by the blonde's expression change when he finally had that light bulb moment. "Did you two fuck, un?" He asked rather loudly as he tilted his head to the side.

Itachi looked at the bomb artist with disbelief. He couldn't find anything to say, he was disgusted merely at the thought. Kisame looked at the ground. "No we didn't do that, Deidara…" He muttered. "Unfortunately…" he muttered under his breath. He thought that nobody would have been able to hear that last part, but Itachi suddenly felt the urge to puke.

Deidara shrugged. "Whatever…" he said quietly. He looked at Itachi and noticed the ninja's normally tan skin going pale. "Something wrong, Itachi-san?" He asked the raven-haired ninja with utter concern.

Itachi nodded. "I'm fine. But if either of you two needs me, I'm going to go throw up…" he said as he exited the room. Deidara watched him leave.

"What's with Mister Gloom and Doom, un?" he asked Kisame, pointing his thumb to the direction that Itachi left in.

The shark man shrugged. "He's creped out at the thought of sleeping with me." He answered simply. In his mind, he continued to address Deidara by 'Bomb Boy' every time he had a new thing to say. "Why did you just call him Mister Gloom and Doom?" he asked the artist curiously.

"Well, he's gloomy, and always treats his victims in a way that makes them want to die before he actually kills them, un." Deidara said simply as he leaned against a wall.

Kisame nodded. "What would you think if some one called you 'Bomb Boy?'" he wondered out loud. He could see a sneer forming on Deidara's face.

"Let me answer that in a simple way, un." He said as he began to mess with some clay in his hands. "If I find out you're calling me that when I can't hear you," he opened his palm, exposing a clay spider, "then… You might just wake up to find yourself in your own blood, un." He said simply, watching Kisame carefully for a reaction.

The other man tried to avoid Deidara's eyes. "Don't worry. I'm not the one calling you that… uh… Hidan is!" he said. It wasn't clear weather he was trying to keep his voice calm or not. If he was, it wasn't working. If he wasn't, then he should have been.

Itachi walked back into the room. He smirked as he looked at Kisame, returning to where he had been sitting. "He's a liar Deidara. He's been calling you that since you joined Akatsuki." Kisame glared at Itachi as he sat down.

"Well then… Since I know that Itachi-san's at least right on the part about being a liar, art is a bang, yeah?" he said with a smirk. Kisame stood.

"Well if that's how it's going to be, I'll be in the other room." He said as he walked towards the door. He suddenly decided that if he was already being threatened to be killed, he might as well raise the stakes. "Oh, and one more thing, Deidara. Itachi's in love with you." He said just before he left the room.

It took all of Itachi's mental strength to not go running after Kisame and kill him right then. And because he had to focus on not doing that, he had forgotten to fight back the blush that began to swarm across his cheeks. Deidara looked at Itachi, who had hidden his blush by looking at the ground, his hair hanging over his face.

"Itachi-san? Is that true, un?" He asked quietly. Itachi quickly buried the blush and shook his head.

"Of course that isn't true. And even if I did, you have Sasori, right?" He asked, mentally screaming at himself, something about not encouraging the blonde's behavior. He stood up instantly. "I hate to abandon you like this, but maybe you could go look for Sasori or something… I need to go beat some sense into Jaws…" he added as he cracked his knuckles. No one seemed to know that they all had a nickname for everyone, but they didn't really care until they figured out what it was that they were called.

Deidara nodded. "I haven't spoken to him at all today… I'll go do that now, UN!" Deidara said with a smile. "Have fun with the Piranha!" He said as he ran out of the room, calling out Sasori's name.

"The piranha?" Itachi asked himself as Deidara ran off. He sighed and walked to the room that he knew Kisame would be hiding in.

* * *

-le gasp- What is Itachi going to do to Kisame? Did Deidara belive Itachi denying his true feelings? next chapter loves!

Itachi: No seriously. The paranha?

Me: Well sorry! I don't know Kisame's character well enough to come up with a buch of cool nick names for him!

Itachi: Still...

Me: Shove it...

Deidara: I still don't like being called Bomb Boy...

Me: It's late. Both of you. Sleep. NOW


	6. Pocket Full of Fun

Hey dudes! ...and dudetts... Sorry it took me so long! I had writer's block again... So today I figured, "Hey, I'm only oushing myself t do a thousand things before I take my sleeping meds, why not add this to the list?" So I did.

**Disclamer:** Again, I wish I owned Naruto. Because then... Hehe... Well, Chibi-chan wouldn't just listen to me ranting about my loves for Itachi and Kakashi. And you wouldn't see the show on Cartoon Network, But I've said that before. So Yeah, and stuffs...

* * *

Kisame went to the room that would be the last room that Itachi would look in. Or so he hoped anyway. Once he got there and thought it through, it was obvious. He was in Itachi's room. "I'm dead… Oh yeah. I'm dead." He muttered as he silently closed the door behind him.

It was a worthless cause, and he knew it. Even Deidara, in his bizarre and unstable mental health, could tell that Kisame was in for it. Although, while he was busy going through the hide out, he couldn't help but wonder which of the two was telling the truth. Was it true that Itachi liked him, or was it true that Itachi didn't like him and Kisame was just had a death wish that day? It was enough to make one think.

"Sasori-danna!" The blonde called while his mind wandered. "Where are you, un?" he continued to call. _"Maybe Itachi-san does like me… And if Sasori seriously is dead… Well… He's cute, what can I say?"_ he thought to himself, instantly banishing the thought. "Puppets don't die." He muttered out loud.

Meanwhile, Itachi went directly to his room. He thrust to door open and locked it behind him. "You told Deidara…" he said, his face covered with frustration.

"Uh… I didn't mean to?" Kisame replied, trying to make it a statement, but instead it came out as a question.

The Uchiha's eyes began to flood with a familiar crimson cover. "You are damned lucky that his mind is easily convinced of lies…" He said as he approached his partner. Even though the blue skinned male was much taller then the other, the raven-haired ninja's appearance could still be quiet intimidating.

"I'm sorry, Itachi!" Kisame said, in an attempt to save himself form a lot of pain, physically, or mentally.

Itachi glared at Kisame with a fire-like intensity. "You better be. And you're lucky. I don't want to be killed by the rest of Akatsuki once they get back and find you dead! So I'm going to let you live. But that doesn't mean you're getting off without a ton of pain." Kisame sighed. Itachi was so predictable when he was angry like this. Now he was probably about to take a few steps back, glare at the taller man for a few moments, then slam his head into the wall a few dozen times.

And the Uchiha did just that. He walked back and glared at Kisame for about thirty seconds, then walked over to the wall and began to slam his head into it. "Damn it Kisame! I really hate you right now…" he muttered as he hit his head.

Deidara heard a familiar noise, similar to a 'thud.' "Itachi-san's upset about something, un…" he muttered as he continued to search for the puppet. "Saso- Oh what's the use? He's dead, un." He mumbled. He slapped his hands over his mouth. "What the hell did I just say?" He asked, the sound muffled through his hands. "Puppets don't die, un!" The very thought that he had said that, even if he didn't mean to, depressed him to no end.

The shark man walked over to Itachi. "May I suggest you don't do that? It only hurts you. It doesn't help." He askd as he took a firm grasp of Itachi's shoulder.

"Daja vu…" Itachi muttered as he stopped hitting his head.

"Yeah, probably because this has only happened a thousand times since Sasori died." The taller man reminded the Uchiha.

It was completely true. Itachi got frustrated with Deidara, or Deidara was being moody calling every one a liar, or something of the nature, and he would go off into another room, and hit his head into a wall repeatedly. "Whatever…" he mumbled as he twisted from the hold on his shoulder. He walked over to his bed and sat on it. "So now we have a blonde… and emotionally unstable bomb artist, a giant shark thing that has a big mouth, and a currently depressed murder of his own clan that wants to kill them both. Aren't we just a pocket full of fun?" Itachi muttered as he lay down, staring at the ceiling.

Kisame blinked. "A pocket full of… I think you hit your head one to many times." He muttered.

Itachi sent a glare at him. "I'm in love with a man. To add to that, a man that won't get over his dead lover. Do you seriously doubt that I'm insane?" he asked as he closed his eyes.

What the two didn't know, but wished they knew, was that Deidara had managed to make it in front of Itachi's room. And he didn't hear any part of the conversation, except the last three sentences. He backed up a few steps. And the part of him that was positive Sasori was dead, and the part that was still in denial, was enough to convince him of what was the truth. Itachi was in love with Deidara. And this was confusing to no end for the blonde.

"Wha…? No… No… He… he can't… He knows that I love Sasori with all my heart… He can't love…" he whispered to himself, unable to form a complete sentence. "But he is still really hot, un." He said mindlessly. He again threw his hands over his mouth and began to stumble away. "I'm loosing my mind…" He mumbled.

"Itachi-san, if you're in an organization of S-ranked criminals, you are bound to loose your mind. I just think that hitting your head doesn't help much." Kisame said quietly, as not to anger the shorter ninja.

Itachi sighed and returned to staring at the ceiling. "Yeah… Whatever… If you ask me, I lost my mind along time ago…" he muttered as he closed his eyes.

"Could be why you killed your clan…" Kisame muttered in response. Itachi would have glared at him, but he honestly didn't care.

Deidara walked into his room. "I love Sasori, un. Itachi loves me. I think he's hot… Something in that doesn't make sense, un." He muttered as he locked his door. He needed to think for a moment. "I could ask Itachi-san about it… Maybe it was a miscommunication, un…" he was silent for a moment, and his face was completely blank. "I didn't know I knew that word… Oh well…" He sat on his unmade bed.

He seemed to be one of the on members that never made his bed. When people started to yell at him about how bad it looked, Sasori had suggested that Deidara start sleeping with him.

That always had seemed to work, too. Except when Sasori had a mission, or under the current situation… seeing as how Sasori was dead and all…

"Gah! What am I thinking?" the blonde exclaimed as he grabbed his hair in two tight fists, slamming his head into the pillow. "Ho many times do I have to say it, un? Puppets don't die!" He clenched his eyes shut, walking over to his desk, head now throbbing from when he pulled his hair. He opened the desk and took out a clay bird. "If I find out he's dead, I'll kill myself, un. All I would need to do is end it with a bang." He nodded to himself.

"Alright. If Itachi-san and Kisame-kun can truly convince me that Sasori-danna is dead, well… Lets leave it at this, un. Art is a bang." The blonde said quietly. He put the bird away. "I just can't tell them that I'll do that…" He mentally noted.

* * *

It sucked, right? Like I said, I pushed myself, I was bust, I was sore, and I was stressed. Oh well. I promise, I'll make the next chapter better!!! Please forgive me... 


	7. Comfort

Hello agian... Yeah, today, I shall put some footnotes on this chapy... So read those once you're done with this...

Oh, and this time, I'm doing things a bit diffrent. I'm dedicating this chapter. Dunno why though...

I dedicate it to really weird things... I dedicate it to my brother's dog, Loco, the rain that seems to be reflecting my mood, and my best friends, Sammie and Mara. I love you guys, now more then ever. nn

**Disclamer:** Me... Own Naruto...? I wish. (No. No planing tonight. No comment other then that.)

* * *

Kisame sighed at his partner. He wanted to leave, but knew that that was probably not the best idea at the moment. Itachi sighed, trying to forget his current frustration and depression. "Why am I feeling depressed because Deidara might know how I feel?" he asked quietly. The shark man shrugged.

"Probably because you've tried so long to keep it a secret, one that only would I would know. And I betrayed your trust and told him anyway." He answered, instantly regretting saying that.

Itachi looked over at him, Sharingan and all it's glory. "Right. That's why I'm depressed, and why I'm furious with you!"

"I assume now would be a bad time to say that I still think you're insane?" He asked quietly. Itachi pointed to the door.

"You want out of here, get out. I'm not stopping you. I want to be alone." He said firmly. Kisame walked over to the door with out question. Itachi sighed and closed his eyes once again. He opened the door just as a certain blonde was about to knock.

Kisame looked at Deidara. He didn't want to stick around for this. He briskly walked out of the room, heading towards his own; leaving Itachi alone with the last person he wanted to see at that moment.

Deidara blinked before walking in and closing the door behind him. "What's with him, un?" He asked quietly. Itachi didn't move he didn't even bother to open his eyes. Deidara waited for several moments before giving up on getting an answer.

"Listen Itachi-san, I know how you feel about me," his words filled Itachi with dread, "but that's not what I want to talk about at the moment. Convince me Sasori no danna is dead, un." He demanded. He had much more patience when it came to getting an answer this time. He waited for five minutes before the Uchiha even acknowledged the blonde's presence.

He sat up and looked into Deidara's visible eye. "Why would I do that? I've tried before and I know you don't want to accept it." He said with a small sigh.

Deidara's brow furrowed in frustration. "And maybe I'm coming to terms with it and need just a little bit more convincing, un." He insisted.

"Nice try." Itachi said almost instantly. "I know you're coming to terms with that, there is no doubt about it." He brushed a strand of hair as dark as midnight out of his eye. "And you don't want to. It's painstakingly obvious that you have ulterior motives out of this conversation."

The blonde stared at him blankly. He wondered how he knew, but didn't show it through his expression or any body movement. He knew better then to do that. After all, Deidara might have been insane, but he wasn't an idiot. "Do not, un. I just want to get it over with. I want to accept his death, un." Deidara said desperately.

This only caused that Uchiha to roll his eyes, now faded back to black. "If you can say a sentence such as that, it only shows you know he's dead. You want more assurance that it's true though, that's no lie." He said, his face completely blank.

"Then why won't you just give it to me, un?" The blonde asked calmly as he pulled a bit of hair away from his mouth and back so it was covering his left eye.

Itachi didn't do anything before or after he answered. He simply looked directly into the other man's right eye and spoke. "Because I'm not having you blow yourself up."

There was a moment of shock that ran through Deidara. He couldn't have let his motives be that obvious, right? He was puzzled. Itachi must have sensed this, for he explained.

"I'm not stupid. You would never let any of us tell you he was dead, if you would have, you would have broken in tears the moment Leader-sama told you. Or shortly after. And you didn't. I don't think you have even shed a single tear about it. So you know he's dead. You just want someone to further convince you of it. You want to be with him, Deidara. And I'm not going to let that happen any time soon."

The blonde grimaced. "You have no right to think I would ever kill myself, un! And I don't think he's dead! He wouldn't leave me alone! He wouldn't! For the thousandth time, puppets don't die, un!" He exclaimed, a single tear escaping from his eye.

Itachi sighed and walked over to him, holding the blonde gently in his arms. "Shh… It's all right Deidara… Just cry… It's all right to accept his death…" he said quietly. "Just cry so you can move on in time…" he whispered in his ear.

Deidara began to sob uncontrollably, clinging onto Itachi's cloak. "Sasori no danna…." He whispered as tears fell willingly. The hair that hung over his left eye matted to his face from the sudden wetness. It made Itachi want to brush it back and reveal the mysterious eye, but he didn't. He simply held Deidara in his arms, wanting more then anything to comfort him.

"It's alright Deidara… He's in a better place…" He said comfortingly. One arm held the bomb artist close to himself, while the other stroked that long hair.

"He was perfectly fine with S-ranked criminals!" The other protested. Itachi made no comment, he simply tried to calm the one he loved. Although, he couldn't help but think how odd it sounded, even to his own ears, that someone would think that their loved one was 'perfectly fine' when they were always surrounded by S-ranked criminals. He sighed at the thought.

"I know Deidara… I know…" he said quietly. The blonde looked at him, his face a mixture of sorrow and anger.

"Make up your mind, un!" He demanded. "He's in a better place, blah, blah, blah… Then you say you agree that he's better off here! Damn it Itachi, un!" he yelled, causing the Uchiha to wince slightly, before nuzzling his head in the other's neck.

Itachi sighed and rubbed his back. "I'm just trying to make you feel better, Deidara… After all, I love you…"

The blonde seemed oblivious to his words. Itachi hadn't even meant to sat that, admit that he felt that way, but he didn't worry about it. What was said was said, and he couldn't change that. That was why he never regretted killing the clan.

"I love him Itachi… I love him… How could he do this to me, UN?" He sobbed. "He promised he would never leave me… And he lied! Sasori-danna only lied to me once…and it was about such a big thing!"

"He didn't mean to… I doubt he just let himself die… I'm sure he fought to live…" Itachi replied, his tone soft. He didn't seem to mind that the blonde was being so loud about his sobbing, or the fact the he had given the raven-haired ninja a headache.

Deidara took his face away from Itachi's neck. He wiped away tears from his right eye. He tucked back the hair that had always hidden his left and brushed away those tears as well. He didn't try to hide his eye as he looked at Itachi sadly. The man couldn't help but admire Deidara's beautiful face, both of his eyes perfect, a beautiful shade of sea blue.

"I just want to know what he was thinking as he died…" Deidara said quietly, breaking Itachi's trance he seemed to be in.

Itachi lifted his chin with tow fingers, making him look at the darker haired ninja's face. "I'm positive he was thinking of you until the end…" He said quietly, withdrawing his hand. As much as he wanted to pull Deidara into a kiss right then, he knew that he shouldn't. And he knew the blonde was upset, so he wouldn't dare do a thing such as that.

The blonde's face as almost instantly being buried in the Uchiha's neck once again. He was once again sobbing desperately.

_"I'm here for you Deidara… And I'll comfort you as long as you need it…"_

* * *

Likey? I'm not sure I do. But it's the third time I've written this one.

Are you curious to why? Or why it's taking me so long to update? Simple. I've been in a bad mood. I have appeared to have gotten into an argument with one of my dear friends, and now I refuse to speak to three of them. I tried earlier, but I became depressed... So I'm having a hard time doing much of anything right now. Other then waking up, grabbing an energy drink, staring at a blank word document, then going back to bed.

Why three times, you ask? That's simple too. I've gotten angry while I was writing, and ended up killing someone, or making Deidara go on a ranting rampage. So I think it's best like this, ne?

Anyway, I'll try to update soon... But reveiws make me update faster! ...there I go with my bribing again... I may be wraping this story up in the next few chapters, just an fyi. I may make a sequal though... nn Not really sure...


	8. Realization

Hey guys! Guess what, I LOVE YOU ALL. Your reviews mad my day. And I decided to writ this chapter to day, because I'm in love...with a shirt...that I drew...a few days ago... XD

Anywho... I hope you guys are happy with this chapter... Just a warning though, it is **SHORT**

Sorry about that! But I sort of like it anyway...

Disclamer: Psh... I wish man... I wish...

* * *

The two stayed like that for two and a half hours. Deidara sobbing uncontrollably, Itachi wanted to do nothing other then comfort him. Kisame had walked past the room and poked his head in, but quickly left, closing the door behind him.

Eventually Deidara was calm enough that his breathing was finally becoming steady once more, and the tears stopped almost instantly. He looked up at Itachi, his cheeks red and his eyes blood shot. "Why have you been putting up with me all this time, un? I haven't listened to anything that you've been telling me since he died…and now this…" He said quietly. He pulled his hands up to his chest in a childish manner. He was sitting in Itachi's lap; the Uchiha's cloak was soaked with tears.

"Deidara, you've been hurting…and I know it… I've been annoyed that you wouldn't just accept his death and move on, but I know you didn't want to…" Itachi said quietly. "And I care about you…so I'll do anything to make you feel better…even if it means having to wait for you to accept the pain at all…"

Suddenly the blonde threw his arms around Itachi's neck in a tight hug. The Sharingan user was shocked for a moment before wrapping his arms around the other man in return. "Still…you and Kisame could have gone off on missions like everyone else, un… I don't see why you stayed…because I know that I've been annoying you to the point where you just want to hurt someone, un." The bomb artist said quietly.

"I don't want you to have to be alone when you obviously need someone to be there for you." The other said quietly. A single tear fell from Deidara's eye.

"Thanks Itachi-san. That means a lot to me, un…" He whispered before he kissed the Uchiha's cheek. A small shade of pink found it's way onto Itachi's face. He silently hoped the blonde wouldn't notice. There was no telling how he would react.

Deidara pulled away from Itachi's embrace. He wiped his nose and chuckled sadly, but smiled anyway. "I didn't know you could blush, un." He said quietly. The gleam in his eyes was mocking the Uchiha, and both men knew it.

"Well…apparently I can…" Itachi muttered as his blush deepened. The blonde moved his hair so it was covering half of his face once more.

"You're cute when you blush, un. I should make you do it more often." He said quietly. Then an idea rushed to his mind. The only warning Itachi got of what was coming was a mischievous smile that snaked onto Deidara's face.

"In fact, I think I will…" The blonde murmured. He then pressed his lips gently against Itachi's, causing his blush to deepen even more, his cheeks now a bright shade of red. Deidara pulled away, a smirk now plastered on his face. "Yep." He stated. "I am defiantly going to make you blush more often, un."

The raven-haired ninja's blush faded a little. He blinked and looked at Deidara as the blonde crawled off his lap. "What…was…that…about?" He asked slowly.

"Just me saying thanks, un. Who knows what I would have done if you weren't here to help me?" He asked with a smile. Itachi was surprised with how quickly the bomb artist had seemed to recover from his break down. He was very tempted to pinch himself.

If Deidara really did just kiss him, it would have to have been a dream. There was no way that could have happened. He blinked once more. "Did you just kiss me to say thanks?" He asked, still in quiet a bit of shock.

Deidara nodded. "That, and because you're just so damn hot, un." He looked at Itachi. As if he had read his mind he pinched the skin on his hand. "No. You're not dreaming."

Itachi still looked surprised. "Sorry about soaking your cloak, un." He muttered as he eyed the ex-Konoha ninja's cloak. Itachi looked at his cloak.

"No problem… It will dry… And I honestly don't mind." He said with a small smile himself.

"Itachi-san…I think I'm going to move on…and get over Sasori no danna's death…" The bomb artist said quietly. "It's what he would want…right?" He looked into Itachi's eyes, as if he wanted some sort of assurance that he was doing the right thing. He didn't want to linger on it anymore. He didn't want to keep telling himself that the red headed puppet is still alive. He didn't want to lie to himself. It was only hurting him, and he was finally realizing it.

The Uchiha walked over to Deidara and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Yeah…it is…" He said quietly. Deidara hugged Itachi tightly, his arms around the other man's shoulders and his head lying against his chest.

"I don't want to lie to myself anymore, un…" He explained, voicing his thoughts. The Uchiha sighed and kissed the top of the blonde's head.

"I know…and you don't have to…you can just move on with your life like you want to…like Sasori would want you to…" He whispered as he closed his eyes.

Deidara nodded. "Then I will…" He whispered.

"And I'll help you…any time you need it…" Itachi whispered comfortingly. He hugged Deidara tightly. "No matter what."

* * *

Well? Likey? and I know a few people out there hate ItaDei, but if you're one of them, no flamey. Because I came to the conclusion long ago, I am the anti-fire!! Muhahaha... Anyway, yeah. I love you all to death, and I think I'll write one more chapter, and then this will be all wraped up! -claps like a little school girl- So yeah! Once I finish this story, I will glomp each and every one of you. 


	9. Finally At Peace

Here it is. The final chapter. I know it's short, but bare with me. It took alot just to think up this much. I think that after I start a few other stories, I'll make a sequal. -squee-

Disclamer: Akira E. A. still wishes. But that is why it is _fan_fiction. Right?

* * *

It had been a week since that incident. Kisame noticed that Deidara had been spending more time seeking out Itachi as opposed to seeking out the puppet he would never find. Neither of the men had told Kisame what happened that afternoon, no matter how many odd glances he gave them. There was something that was obviously different about their friendship. 

Deidara and Itachi had made sure that Kisame didn't know about their hidden kisses before bed. They made sure that he didn't know of anything that they did. Of course they never discussed telling him with each other. The only reason neither of them told him was because they didn't think that the other wanted people to know. Most of the paranoia came from the Uchiha's half, but a good portion was still from the blonde's.

And Kisame was clueless just like they wanted.

Deidara slipped out of his room just as Itachi was walking into his own. "Itachi-san…can I sleep with you tonight?" He whispered. Itachi didn't even have to think about it, he simply nodded.

The blonde had been telling the Sharingan user that he had been having nightmares the past few nights, and Itachi would do anything to allow Deidara to have a full night's sleep. The effects of the haunting images were showing their effects all over the bomb artist. He had been acting very irritated with every little thing that happened. He was beginning to get lines under his eyes just like Itachi, and it just wasn't normal. The normally cheerful man would just ignore everything that was going on, and everything that Itachi and Kisame said.

He would only talk pleasantly with Itachi when they were off alone while Kisame was sleeping. That meant that they had been staying up late so they could be alone, and that wasn't helping Deidara's sleep depervision.

The two walked into the dark room, no candles or lights providing any source of light. They lay next to each other on the bed, Itachi holding Deidara firmly in his arms. The blonde looked into Itachi's eyes as he clung onto his chest.

He gently pressed his lips against the Uchiha's. Itachi kissed him back, only pulling the body closer to his own. The kiss lingered for several moments before Deidara spoke. "I love you…" He whispered mindlessly.

He didn't know that he had said it. In fact, he wasn't even consciously aware that it was true. The fact that he had said anything at all didn't register in his mind until the ex-Konoha nin smiled slightly. "I love you too…" He whispered back.

The two stayed that way for over an hour; simply hold each other and enjoying how close they were. The blonde had closed his eyes, and was half asleep. Itachi sighed contently as he looked down at him.

Nothing could have been any more perfect at that moment…everything seemed to be working out so well.

As Deidara finally drifted off to a peaceful sleep, he heard Sasori's voice in his head. But this time, he wasn't going to go chasing after it. He simply smiled at the words he heard. "I love you Deidara…. and this is exactly what I want for you…for you to live your life to the fullest, and move on." The voice said.

The Uchiha gently stroked the sleeping man's hair and began to drift off to sleep himself. A smile began to form on his own face as he heard the same voice that the other did. The only difference for him was what they said. "Thank you Itachi…he really needs you."

And the men slept peacefully that night, happily in each other's arms. Up above them, a certain redheaded puppet was smiling, glad that everything seemed to work out in the end. And he was able to rest, finally at peace.

Fin.

* * *

Hehe... Thanks to all of my reviewrs! And sorry to Shikyo Miazaki. I basically scrapped the plot we had in the begining, ne? Oh well. I think it worked out in the end. Special thanks to xIMxxAxxxFAKExxx, EmptyCocaColaCan, and Shikyo Miazaki. You all helped me. -big glomps to you three- And like I promised last time... -glomps everyone else- Squee! So now we're all happy, right?  



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